I Get It
by NarcoGilmore
Summary: It's Christmas time in Stars Hollow and it's been a while since Rory has seen anyone in the town except her mom. A certain reunion may last longer then expected. NARCO rorydean
1. Chapter 1

December 22, 2012

Miss Patty hurried across the room to catch Lorelai before she left for the day.

"Lorelai wait…I never asked you before, when should we be expecting Rory? Is she coming home tonight or tomorrow morning."

"I don't know Patty; she keeps calling and pushing back the flight time. At this point I'm beginning to wonder if she'll make it home at all for Christmas." Lorelai explained unhappily staring down to the floor.

"Of course she will honey, she couldn't possibly spend Christmas with a bunch of politicians."

"I really hope she makes it but she has just been so busy lately …"

Dean interrupted their conversation by climbing down the ladder they happened to be standing beside. "Did either of you stop to think maybe she is trying to surprise you, instead of giving you the exact moment she will be arriving?" Dean asked putting his hands to his sides displaying his tool belt proudly.

"Dean really you'll never finish all of this by tomorrow if you continue to chat down here with us on the floor. The whole town will be here for the second annual Stars Hollow Christmas party. You wouldn't want to disappoint them, like you did last year by not coming at all would you?"

Lorelai gave him a sympathetic smile. At this point there was nothing she could do to help him.

"No I wouldn't, which is why I'm going for more nails." He said smiling as he walked away from them. "And the two of you are worried about nothing, when has Rory ever not come home for Christmas?" He yelled back.

"You know I'm sure he is right. Hopefully she will be here tomorrow in time for the party. I should really get home; it's already going to be a challenge to explain to Luke that he has to cook all of this food by tomorrow. I'll call you if I hear from her.

Lorelai quickly left before she could be stopped by anyone else. Dean reappeared beside Miss Patty, this time with a full box of nails.

"So what's the plan?" He asked knowing Miss Patty was up to something.

"Well I just thought that since we are already celebrating the holidays and everyone in town will already be here, we could also throw in a little welcome home party for Rory. I mean other then Lorelai no one else has seen her since last Christmas."

"Got it, we'll save space in the corner for the welcome home decorations."

"Good ole Dean, he always knows exactly what a woman wants, I just cannot believe you're still not taken."

"It's a good thing I've known you most of my life Miss Patty, otherwise I would be very afraid of you right now."

"Alright already, stop flirting with me and get back to work. These decorations aren't going to hang themselves."

Dean shook his head exhausted after the conversation but quickly got back to work.

Later that night…

Lorelai hung up the phone disappointed that she once again only received Rory's voicemail.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen carefully hoping that Luke was a little less upset then he had been earlier that day when she handed him his list of items to cook. "How's everything going in here?"

"Oh just great, you know how much I enjoy cooking food for other people. Especially away from the diner, where I cook food for other people all day. Tell me again why Sookie can't cook this?"

"Sookie got her own list, it's way longer then yours." Lorelai said sitting down at the table.

"What's going on with you? You were in a good mood today when you got home."

"This may be the first Christmas that Rory and I spend apart."

"What are talking about…Rory is coming home. She is just like you, late for everything."

"I hope you're right."

Back at Miss Patty's Studio

"I thought we were never going to be able to leave. And Miss Patty is something. Get this, she asked me if I still had my Navy uniform and then proceeded to tell me how much she always loved a man in uniform." Kyle told Dean as they both left Miss Patty's.

"Yeah man, it's that hook of yours. You always said it was a chick magnet." Dean said laughing.

"Hey, I don't appreciate you laughing about this…wait until she starts pinching your ass again." Dean nodded knowing what he just said was very likely to come true. "So I guess you're getting excited, right?"

"About what…the party?" Dean asked unsure.

"Yeah right the party, you know exactly who I'm referring to, Rory is coming home tomorrow. How long has been since the two of you saw each other anyway."

"A while I guess, and yeah sure why wouldn't I be happy to see her? Everyone is going to be excited to see Rory again."

"Come on man, it's me you're talking to now, I understand. I was there remember, I saw what the two of you had between each other. Hell I was even there the night before your wedding when you mumbled her name instead of your wife's."

"Kyle that was a long time ago, we've both grown up and we're completely different now."

"I don't know man, if it were me I wouldn't have given up without a fight. I'd give anything to have a relationship like the two of you had together."

"You don't think I fought for her? I had to fight everyday when I was in that relationship. All the way up to the last second when I finally realized I had to let go, and really let go forever."

"Regardless of how it ended the two of you were THE couple. And you were madly in love with one another at one point in time, you can't just let those memories fade away, they're part of who you are."

"I never said she wasn't important to me, it's just not likely that anything will ever happen between us again. Hell, at this point I'm not even sure she would want to be my friend."

"I highly doubt that…did I ever tell you about last year's Christmas party?"

"Not really, you just said the same old thing happened. You told me I didn't miss much by going to see my parents for Christmas instead."

"I really suck as a friend. I can't believe I forgot to tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

"She asked about you. She wanted to know where you were and I told her. And then she mumbled something about being disappointed and that she was really looking forward to seeing you again."

"Really, I mean are you sure she said that? I mean I'm sure you were a little toasted, maybe you got the message wrong."

"No, that is what she said. I'm sure of it."

"Well I guess that makes sense, I mean I'd probably ask the same thing if I went away and came back."

"Hey man, all I'm saying is that there is definitely something special happening this Christmas. I can feel it, we will all prosper…speaking of which I must run home now to get ready for my date."

"Oh wow, I didn't realize you and Miss Patty hit it off that well." Dean joked.

"Shutup you're just jealous, I saw you notice her too. The hot blonde I was working with…too bad you were assigned to do all the manual labor while I got to hang with her."

"Fair is fair, she is all yours."

"You coming home?" Kyle asked before walking away.

"No , I think I'm going to walk for a bit to clear my head. You go on and have a good time tonight."

"Oh trust me we will, details in the morning bro."

Dean continued walking towards the lake. Stopping at the edge of it as he looked over the water that seemed to be shiny black glass, he felt the first piece of snow fall on his face. Smiling to himself as he remembered the Gilmore's philosophy that really good things happen when it snows. His mind slowly drifted to thinking about the possibilities of tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

As he got out of bed he could feel every bone in his body ache after all of the work he had done the day before. It was already ten in the morning but he still didn't want to get out of bed. Instead of taking a shower first, he decided to head straight to the kitchen for breakfast. He quickly poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table. It was only moments later that someone else came into the room.

"Oh hi." The blonde said embarrassed.

"Hello." Dean said quickly looking and then turning back around after noticing that she was wearing very little.

"I'm sorry; I thought that Kyle lived alone. I didn't realize anyone else would be in here."

"It's okay." He said still staring into his cereal bowl.

She proceeded to get a bottle of water from the fridge. "You were at Miss Patty's yesterday too right?"

"Yeah I was."

"There you are!" Kyle said walking into the kitchen. "I thought you had left me already."

"Of course not silly…I just needed some water."

"Oh Dean, I forgot to introduce the two of you. Dean this is Mary, Mary this is Dean."

"Nice to meet you Mary, at least officially."

"You too." She said with a smile. "Kyle do you mind if I take a shower?"

"Not at all, go ahead." He continued to watch her until she disappeared from the room. "There is definitely something about Mary."

"So I take the two of you had a good time last night?" Dean asked walking over to the sink to empty his bowl.

"Yeah we did. You know what, I really like this one. Most of the girls I date are in and out within a week or two but I really think this one is going to be a keeper."

"I really hope so; you really do need to settle down."

"Look who's talking. At least I date, I'm trying."

"I date, just not as much as you do."

"I wouldn't consider two dates in two years dating that much."

"I think you're forgetting about Rachael."

"Okay so you had a three month relationship with her but you didn't seem to care that much when she decided to move. My point is you shouldn't be coming down on me about this when you're just as bad."

"You're right, sorry. I mean I really didn't mean anything by it anyway. I really hope things work out with the two of you is all."

"My suggestion for you is that when she gets here, you find out if there is something still there. If not, then it's time for you to move on and for real this time."

"Are you talking about Rory again? I told you, there is nothing between us anymore. I mean I've barely said hello to the girl since we broke up. You realize that's over eight years since we have really spoken to one another. How could you possibly think that I'm still in love with her?"

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that you don't love Rory Gilmore?"

"No I don't." Dean thought about the words for a moment. "At least I'm not in love with her. I will always care for her though; I mean we went through a lot together. But I don't think that is holding me back from anything."

"That's exactly what I thought…man you've got to let go."

"Yeah okay, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Alright, what time are you going to the party tonight?"

"I think Miss Patty said everyone will be showing up around five. I guess I'll go a little earlier to make sure she doesn't need help with anything. Actually I was thinking of going ahead over there after I get dressed."

"Well I guess we will just see you there tonight then, cause we have an afternoon planned alone."

"Sounds good, have fun." Dean said quickly walking away and into his room.

A few hours later….

"Dean dear…could you please take a break and drive over to Luke and Lorelai's and pick up some of the food. It seems I've given them a bit too much to carry in one trip."

"You call that taking a break?" He asked still unfolding chairs.

"Well yes you'll be sitting in your truck between here and there, that is when you will take a break."

"I'm so glad I came here early to volunteer."

"Oh so am I, if it wasn't for you Dean this party would be a disaster."

"I don't know, it seemed to go well last year and I wasn't here."

"Well it wasn't nearly as fun and festive last year. Now go quickly, they are waiting for you."

Dean quickly drove to Lorelai's house and headed up to the porch. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the door flew open and Luke and Lorelai came out hands full of food.

"Oh Dean, hi there." Lorelai said barely able to see him over what she was carrying.

"You need some help with that?"

"Not with this…but there is plenty more inside for you." He watched as she and Luke continued to her jeep and Lorelai quickly ran back to him. "Okay Luke and I are going to go ahead with this load. There isn't a whole, whole lot left; you think you can handle it?"

"Sure I got it."

"Thanks Dean, you're a life saver. There's no telling how long Miss Patty will keep us once we get there so could you lock up when you're done?"

"Yeah sure, no problem."

Dean went into the house as they began to pull away. Once in the kitchen, he noticed there were nearly fifteen more pans to get. Only able to carry three dishes at the most at a time, he had to make a few trips. As he was gathering some of the last dishes the back door to the kitchen flew open, almost causing him to drop the dish he had just picked up.

"Mom I'm home…" Rory yelled as the door flew open and quickly shut. She stopped in her tracks when she was greeted by Dean in the kitchen instead.

"Your mom left already, she and Luke had to take some of the food to Miss Patty's."

"Oh, so you're here…" She asked confused.

"Oh well I'm getting the rest of the food. It didn't all fit in your mom's jeep."

"Right, the rest of the food of course. So Miss Patty automatically volunteered you to get the rest?" She asked pulling off her jacket and laying it down.

"Yeah, she says it's my punishment for not coming to the party last year."

"Oh yeah, you went to see your parents instead right?"

At that moment he realized that Kyle hadn't been messing with him earlier, she really did ask about him last year. "Yeah I decided to spend Christmas with them and Clara."

"Well of course you did, who else would you want to spend Christmas with?"

"Miss Patty kind of insisted that I stay here in town this year. And when my parents called and said that Clara would be spending Christmas in New Jersey this year, I figured I may as well stay."

"Well how lucky for us then…" Rory said walking over to her old bedroom and placing her bags on the bed. "You need some help?"

"Actually I'm on my last trip, but if you want you can help unload…and of course Lorelai is there, so I could just give you a ride."

"Sure." She said putting her coat back on and grabbing the last dish off the table following Dean outside. "So why is Clara in New Jersey? Does she live there now?"

"Oh no, her boyfriend does. They are spending Christmas with his family this year."

"Oh wow, must be pretty serious then. How did she meet a guy from Jersey?" She asked as they got inside the truck.

Dean stopped for a moment realizing that there hadn't been silence between the two of them since she walked through the door. "They met at school."

"Oh what school is she going to?"

"NYU, that's why my parents moved there, my dad found a decent job and Clara really wanted to go to that school but in order for them to afford it, she needed to be in state."

"I have to look for her next time I'm on campus there. I can't believe I live in the same city as your family but haven't run into any of them."

"Well New York isn't exactly small."

"No it's not."

Finally the moment had come; there was silence in the truck. And neither of them seemed to have anything to say at this point. He looked over for a brief moment to find her staring back at him smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing." She quickly answered.

"Why were you smiling like that? Do I have something on my face?" He asked pulling up to the door of Miss Patty's.

"Actually yes, last time I saw you, you didn't have all this facial hair." She said slightly touching his face. "I like it though. I think it's sexy."

And with that said she slipped out of the truck and began to grab what she could to take inside.


	3. Chapter 3

"Rory….oh my God, you're here." Lorelai screamed when she saw her walk inside Miss Patty's.

She ran over for a hug. "Yeah, I'm sorry I got here so late. I did the best I could."

"It doesn't matter, as long as you're here. I was beginning to think this would be our first Christmas apart."

"Mom you know I'll always be here for Christmas."

"Really?"

"Yes really."

"You're my favorite daughter."

"You're my favorite mom." She said hugging her once again.

"Where do you want these?" Dean asked once again with his hands full.

Lorelai smiled and pointed over to the table of food, her eyes instantly traveled back to Rory's, not even sure why.

"So you came here with Dean?"

"I rode here with Dean…thanks by the way." Rory said sarcastically.

"For what?"

"For leaving him alone at the house, I come home after a year only to be greeted by my ex-boyfriend whom I haven't seen in several years, a little awkward."

"Well you two seem to be getting along okay." Lorelai said as the two of them both watched Dean walk back outside to get more of the food.

"Yeah I guess, but it's still weird. I just feel like he hates me."

"Rory Dean would never hate you. That's not his style."

"No it's not." Rory turned as she spoke to see Dean walking back inside once again. She could feel herself becoming mesmerized by him; he was so different now, yet exactly the same.

Even with her busy career she managed to keep in touch with most of her friends. Paris of course, called more then necessary and she always remembered to keep in touch with Lane when she had a free moment. Of course she couldn't really expect Dean to want to be her friend after everything she put him through.

"Earth to Rory…" Lorelai waved her hand near her face to get her attention. "Are you there?"

"What?" Rory asked snapping out of her daze.

"You kind of spaced out on me there for a moment. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little tired from the trip."

"Maybe you should go home and rest a while before the party starts." Lorelai suggested.

"Sounds great…when are you and Luke going back home?"

"Oh well I'm stuck here until the party starts and Luke has to work at the diner when he is done here. But you go ahead and relax for a while, you don't have to be here this early, besides I think Miss Patty might be upset if you stay cause it will ruin her surprise."

"What surprise?"

"You'll see tonight." Dean walked by once again, this time hands free. "Oh hey Dean, you think you could give Rory a ride home?"

"Sure, anything to get me away from Miss Patty before she gives me another project."

"Great, so Dean will take you back home and you can rest a while before coming back here tonight. I will see you both later."

Rory smiled at Dean and she was happy to see him finally smile back. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah let's get out of here."

The ride back to the house was much quieter then the ride earlier. Neither of them said a word until Dean pulled into the driveway.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah sure. Thanks for saving me from Miss Patty. I won't be going anywhere near that place again today until it's time for the party."

"So what else are you going to do today?"

"Just go back home I guess."

She thought for a moment before saying anything, she debated rather or not to say what she wanted to at all but suddenly it came out.

"I'm having serious issues about coming back home and being alone already. My mom has to stay at Miss Patty's until the party…you wouldn't by chance want to come in and keep me company, would you?"

"Oh well I…"

"I mean if you can't, I understand. I was just thinking about watching a movie or something."

"No, its okay, I can stay."

"I'm going to have to look for a movie…there is no telling what my mom has added to her collection in the last year."

"Anything is fine." Dean said taking a seat on the couch.

"I cannot wait to get these shoes off…this has been the longest day ever." She explained taking a seat next to him on the couch.

"You haven't said much about your job, how's everything going?"

"Well as you know, we lost." She explained taking off the first boot. "This election was exhausting. And just when you think it's over, he announces he will run again in the next election and that we shouldn't lose focus. So I have a feeling we will be working harder now then we were before."

"But this is somewhat what you wanted to do right? I mean you're also having fun?"

"Yeah I guess it's not exactly what I thought I would be doing but it works." She settled from removing her shoes and looked at him. "What about you…what are you doing?"

"Still working for Tom and Taylor occasionally."

"You didn't have to work today?"

"Are you kidding, it's practically a town holiday. Plus we have the next few days off for Christmas."

"You want something to drink? I don't know exactly what we have but I'm sure there is something."

"Yeah sure."

Rory quickly ran to the kitchen.

"Okay, we have beer or water…"

"I'll have a beer, as long as Luke's not home." He joked.

Rory laughed. "Don't worry, you're definitely over twenty-one now. I don't think he will kick you out the house for drinking."

"Hey, he didn't kick me out. I left on my own."

"Oh that's right." She smiled. "That seems like yesterday and yet it's been so long."

"Yeah I know what you mean."

There was silence between the two for a moment as they both took a drink and settled onto the couch. She could tell he was uncomfortable being around her alone like this, the thing she couldn't quite figure out was why she wasn't a little uncomfortable too.

"Dean…I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me."

"I'm not." He quickly answered.

"Dean come on, I'm even nervous right now. I just really want us to be friends; it's just silly not to be."

"Why are you nervous?" He asked curious to hear what she had to say.

"I just don't know how you feel towards me after how things ended between us. I mean we've barely spoken to each other since and…"

"Rory…I'm the one who walked away."

"Yeah but it's my fault that you did. I just don't want there to be any awkwardness if we decide to be friends."

"I want to be your friend. The past is the past, we've both moved on by now right?"

"Yeah right…" She thought about the words he said. The comment quickly made her eye scan his ring finger for any evidence of really moving on relieved to see nothing there.

"So what movie are we going to watch?" Dean asked changing the subject.

She wasn't going to let the conversation end that easily. "Have we really moved on, I mean do you ever think about me? Because sometimes I think about you and…"

"You think about me?" Dean asked surprised.

Rory blushed a little. "Well yeah, I mean sometimes things happen that make me think of you and then I begin to wonder what you're doing or who you're with now. Honestly, you haven't thought about me at all over the years?"

"Of course I've thought about you Rory. I'm just surprised that you've been thinking of me."

"Well I have…" She said inching closer to him.

She waited a moment to see if he would finish filling the gap between them, and he did about halfway, forcing her to make the last move as their lips met. Her body shivered when she felt his hands in her hair and he could tell something was different.

"Are you okay?" He asked pulling away only slightly to ask.

"Yeah, it's just been a while since I've done anything like this. It's funny how you forget how something feels and then when you remember, you can't understand how you went so long without it."

"Are you referring to kissing or sex?"

Rory laughed. "Both actually."

"It's been a while for me too, last time I dated someone was over a year ago." He explained trying to make her feel better. Rory began to laugh almost hysterically. "What is so funny?"

"College…senior year." She said now more serious.

"What?" Dean asked confused trying to understand. She nodded trying to make him understand. "Oh." He said now more shocked. "That's the last time you…."

"Yes."

"Wow, it has been a while."

"Yes it has." She stared at him for a moment trying to figure out what he was thinking. "So you're not scared of me now are you?" She asked joking.

"No, no not at all. I'm just curious now is all?"

"About what?"

"Why…why haven't you met anyone?"

"I've just been really busy. And we sort of have this interoffice dating policy at work. Not that any of us have time to date each other anyway."

"Well we have a lot of time to make up for now don't we?" Dean asked not exactly needing an answer as he laid her down onto the couch and continued where they left off.

Just as the two of them became comfortable the front door opened causing both of them to jump and scatter to collect themselves. Luke stopped as he entered the living room and saw the two of them.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"No Luke, we were just going to watch a movie."

"Uh huh." He said putting his hands on his waist and taking in the scene he had walked in on once again.

"Actually I should be getting home." Dean announced standing up. "I'll see you tonight." He whispered before putting on his jacket and headed for the door.

"Dean you don't have to go."

"It's okay, I'll see you tonight. Get some rest; you've had a long day. See you later Luke." Dean waved goodbye before finally leaving.

"So Rory you're home. How was your flight?"

"Oh I drove this time. But the drive wasn't too bad."

"Well I'm glad you made it here in time, I thought your mom was going to have a heart attack last night when she thought you might not show."

"She knows I'll always come home for Christmas."

"That's exactly what I told her. Hey um, I have to grab my wallet, I forgot it this morning. But then I have to head back to the diner, you want to come with me and get something to eat. Anything you want, it's yours."

"Sure Luke that sounds good."

Luke turned and began to head up the stairs but turned after the first few steps. "So you and Dean are…" He waited to see if she would finish the sentence for him to make things clearer.

"Dean and I are friends." She said with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire town was packed inside of Miss Patty's small studio. Most of the town attended the town meetings but those never seemed to be this packed.

"Everyone please quiet down…" Miss Patty pleaded with the talkative crowd. "Lorelai just called, she and Rory are on their way here. Everyone get quiet and get ready for what we practiced."

"Miss Patty is this really necessary, when I left town no one welcomed me back." Kirk complained.

"Shutup Kirk, you went out of town for your honeymoon…what exactly did you expect us to do? Now go over there and be quiet until Rory gets here." She pointed to the corner.

Dean watched from his own corner as Kirk went to pout in his. He hadn't talked to Rory since he left her house earlier; he was getting more nervous by the minute about seeing her again. And he knew the moment was coming when he saw Miss Patty give the signal that they were now walking inside. Dean looked up to see a very happy Kyle waving to him. He laughed to himself already knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Here they come everyone, get ready." Miss Patty whispered.

The door opened and everyone screamed. "Welcome home Rory."

"Wow, guys you really didn't have to do this." She said happily hugging Miss Patty and Taylor as she was greeted by all of the townspeople.

"We've missed you around here Rory; you really should come home more often." Taylor explained.

"I miss you guys too; I miss a lot of things about this town." Rory said as her eyes traveled around the room and stopped in one particular corner.

Everyone began to mingle once again and go in separate directions. "Mom what is the big deal, just because I came home for Christmas?"

"They love you here hon and we all miss you. I for one wouldn't mind you coming home more." Lorelai began to scan the crown. "Oh there's Luke, I need to make sure he doesn't hate me after this; I'll be over here if you need me."

Rory nodded and turned back to the corner she had noticed earlier. Surprised to find that Dean was no longer standing there she began to panic a little.

"Hey…" A familiar voice came from behind her.

She smiled and turned around already knowing who she would be facing. "Hey."

"I thought I heard you were back in town." Dean joked.

"Yeah I am, so what are you going to do about it?"

Dean laughed. "I uh…"

"I didn't actually expect you to answer that." She said smiling at how nervous he suddenly became.

"We need to talk about what happened earlier."

"Yeah I guess we do. You want to go sit?" She asked pointing back to the corner he was in earlier.

"Yeah sure, let's sit." Dean looked around the room before following noticing already that they were being watched by certain people.

They both sat down across from each other at the table. For a moment they had a staring contest but it was quickly won by Rory when Dean began to laugh again.

"So you wanted to talk…" She said trying to make it serious again.

"Yeah, I did. But wow, déjà vu, we have this conversation a lot in Miss Patty's studio."

"Well technically the conversation didn't go much farther then this before." She said grinning.

"That's why we really need to talk this time. We can't just jump into something like we used to. I don't know about you but it takes me years to recover."

"Honestly Dean, there isn't really anything to jump into here. My life is in New York now, that is at least when I'm not traveling somewhere else." Dean was suddenly awakened by the sudden change of attitude.

"Then what exactly was that that happened earlier?" Dean asked suddenly. "I mean if Luke wouldn't have walked in on us, we were well on our way…"

"I know Dean, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have led you on like that; it's just been so long since I've had someone. I guess I thought maybe we could just have a really nice holiday together."

"So you wanted this to just be a casual thing?"

"Yeah I guess, I mean not really. I just wanted to be with you, I may not be able to be with you all the time, like a couple is normally but I just wish I didn't have to lose you completely."

"So then this was just about sex to you?"

"No Dean, it was about being with someone that I still cared for and that still cared for me even though it wasn't going to be able to be the same. When I told you that I missed you, I really meant it. But I can't sit here and lie to you about being here when I can't. It's really not just about sex, if that's all I wanted, I'm sure it could have been done." Rory explained looking down at her hands. "I completely understand if you want things to stop. If you feel uncomfortable with the situation I promise I won't say or do anything else to you except on a friendship level."

Dean stared at her for a moment before responding. "If we're going to do this…I don't think anyone else should know."

Rory looked up from her hands to look him in the eyes. Realizing that he was being serious now a smile spread across her face.


	5. Chapter 5

"Maybe we should stay inside for a little longer. People are going to notice that we're gone. Or at least that you're gone and then that I'm gone as well…" Dean explained as they made there way towards his truck.

Rory opened the door quickly to the passenger side. "Get inside."

Dean did as he was told and jumped inside and climbed to the driver seat to make room for Rory as well. He smiled to himself as he watched her get inside and blow on her hands to get warm again.

"See now what was the point in that? Now you're freezing." He said quickly throwing his jacket around her.

"Yes but we're also alone now and I really think we will both be warm enough soon." She said moving closer to him.

"Rory you know we can't do this in the truck right?" He asked with his voice cracking a little as her lips explored his neck.

"Why not?"

"Well for starters it's only twenty degrees out here and not to mention Kirk is walking around outside."

Rory shot up suddenly from her slouched position to look for Kirk. "What the hell is he doing out here?"

"Well I don't know, what was your excuse? Fresh air?" Dean asked laughing.

"I told my mom that we were going to go see a movie, thank you."

"And she didn't have anything to say about that?"

"No I just said that we were a little bored with the party and that we wanted to spend some time together, as friends, while I was in town."

"And she bought that?"

"Yeah, is it really that hard to believe?"

"So do you want to go to a movie?" Dean asked to be sure.

"What? Dean, no. That's just what I told my mom that we were doing."

He threw his hands up defensively. "Sorry, I'm not really used to this sex before the date thing. I wasn't sure if you really wanted to go or not."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be rude. I just want to be with you, alone, just the two of us. That means no Christmas party, no movie theatre and especially no truck with Kirk trying to peep in on us." They both turned their attention to outside the window where Kirk seemed to be talking on a cell phone staring directly at the couple.

"We could go to my place but Kyle might come home and if he does I swear you will have to leave through the window." Dean explained.

"What?" She asked shocked.

"Kyle started giving me a hard time lately about me still caring for you and not dating much. If he sees you there, I will never hear the end of it."

"I guess that's why you don't want anyone to know about us."

"What is there to know? There isn't an us, right?" Dean asked looking over to her.

It took a moment for her to answer but she finally managed to get it out. "Right, we're just friends. Let's just go to your place."

Dean nodded and started the truck. A few minutes later they pulled into the driveway of the apartment that he and Kyle shared. Neither of them said a word as they made their way to the door and went inside.

"Wow, this is nice. Big improvement since the last time you and Kyle had a place together."

"Yeah I finally convinced him to take down the black light posters." He watched her as she made herself comfortable. She took off her jacket and threw it onto the back of the couch.

"You can't leave that there." Dean said suddenly. "I mean you should put it in my room, Kyle will see it there."

"Oh right, so your room is?" She asked standing up and grabbing her coat.

"Second door on the left."

He watched as she began to walk towards the bedroom. She turned halfway. "Aren't you coming too?"

"Yeah, I'm right behind you."

She walked inside of his room surprised to find a beautiful black and white themed décor. "Dean is this really your room?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just really nice…a little too nice. I haven't been wasting my time here have I?" She asked grinning.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is just a little too nice for a heterosexual male."

"You think I'm gay now?" He asked finally realizing what she meant. "You know you're really making me start to rethink the arrangement we've made here." He said putting his hands in his pockets.

"I don't think that you're gay Dean…I just think your room is really nice. And I had to pick on you a little about it."

"Well if you must know, I've learned a bit about decorating over the years working with Tom."

"Well it paid off, this is really nice." She said again putting her arms around his neck.

"You've already said that."

"Sorry, that's just something that you do to me…you make me talk in circles."

"So is that a bad thing?" He whispered into her ear.

"It depends on the conversation, I guess."

As they both moved towards the bed still lip locked she began to wonder why she was feeling the way that she was. This was supposed to be fun and really mean nothing but she realized it was more then that. He was so gentle and loving even when he tried not to be, nothing felt more right then being in his arms right now. She knew at that moment that Dean was definitely doing this for her, the question she was asking herself now was rather or not she really wanted this to be a one time thing?

_A/N: The next chapter of this story is done and posted on my myspace. I will post it here once I receive five or more reviews towards this chapter. Until then those of you who are already my friends or would like to be can read ahead. You can access the myspace page from my profile here. _


	6. Chapter 6

Rory awoke the next morning and last nights events flooded her mind. The arm that was wrapped around her waist quickly brought her back to reality. She turned to face him and was surprised to find him staring back at her.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Dean asked.

"Yes, I slept very well." She answered with a smile. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I slept pretty well." He lied to keep things between them normal. How could he possibly explain that he laid awake all night, worried that she may leave without saying goodbye? "So your phone rang a couple of times this morning, I'm sure your mom is a little worried."

"I should have called her."

"She knows that you're with me…"

"Well yeah, I told her that we were going to see a movie remember?"

"Yeah I just didn't want to mention this to anyone. I'm sure she's already figured out what we were doing."

"No, I mean even if she did, I'm going to tell her that the movies were busy and that we rented one instead and we fell asleep watching it. It's not a big deal; I will take care of it."

"It's scary how easily you lie now?"

"What?" She asked a little defensive.

"Well I mean you make things up quickly and you do it so well. I used to be able to tell when you were lying or making something up. You got this really worried look on your face, like please believe me…remember that time Jess came over and you said he was there because Paris liked him?"

"Yeah?"

"That was a big one. I would have busted you on it, but I didn't want you to get that upset."

"Now you're lying, you didn't know that night, you believed me."

"I believed that you didn't ask for him to be there but I didn't believe the story you gave me…none of that matters anymore, I was just trying to make a point. You didn't used to be like this."

"What do you mean? How am I?"

"Hard, you've built this shell around yourself and it doesn't seem like you're ever going to let anyone in again."

"Dean that isn't it, I'm just…"

"Really busy…with your job, I know you've already told me, a couple of times now actually."

"Where is all of this coming from? I thought I explained my situation, you agreed to this Dean, I haven't done anything wrong." She began to get louder as she explained herself and sat up in bed.

"Rory please calm down, Kyle will hear you. I don't mean anything by it, I just want you to be happy and in my opinion you're not." Rory glared at him. "I'm not naïve; I know that you think I'm saying these things so that you will stay here, with me. But honestly it has nothing to do with me, your family misses you Rory, hell I miss you…if nothing else as a friend. The whole town misses you; all I'm saying is that if this job is as tiring and stressful as you claim it to be why the hell are you still there? At the end of the day, what is the point? You have no one to come home to and nothing to look forward to."

A tear slipped from her eye. "I guess not all of us are destined to spend the rest of our life in the small town we grew up in." She looked him in the eye one last time before climbing out of bed to retrieve her clothes from the floor.

He didn't say another word as she got her clothes and put them back on. He knew she had changed but he couldn't believe what she had just said to him. "Thanks for everything Dean; as usual it was an experience I'll never forget." She said standing up and gathering the last of her things. "I could still leave through the window if you insist." She said a bit mockingly.

"No, use the front door. I'm not too worried about defending you anymore." He said coldly staring at the wall.

She ran her hand through her hair a bit frustrated now. "Well maybe I'll see you around Dean." She said before finally leaving the room.

When she stepped out of his room she felt like she would burst into tears but the thing that made it most frustrating was that she knew he was right about what he said. Being so caught up in the moment she hadn't noticed that Kyle and Mary were both sitting at the table looking back at her.

"Hey Rory, is everything okay?" Kyle asked unsure of what exactly was happening.

"Oh Kyle hey…I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, I was just on my way out."

"No worries, I'd like for you to meet my girlfriend, Mary." He announced proudly.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I'm like this…it's just been a rough morning."

"That's okay…Kyle told me all about you last night." Rory stared back at them oddly. "I didn't know who it was that we were welcoming home."

"Oh right, well you know Miss Patty always blowing things out of proportion."

"I thought it was sweet and wow how cool is it that you and Dean got back together…when Kyle told me about the two of you and everything you've went through I had my doubts but I'm happy to see that I was wrong."

Rory laughed. "Yeah well I should get going. It was nice meeting you and seeing you again Kyle." She said while walking to the door to make a quick escape.

Once Rory left Kyle became concerned. "Excuse me for just a few minutes…I need to talk to Dean."

"Okay." She said with a smile as he left her.

He knocked before going inside. When he opened the door he was surprised to find a very active Dean pulling the sheets off his bed to the floor.

"Hey man, what's going on? I just saw Rory she looked upset."

"Don't worry it's just one of her many talents now, she can turn the emotion on and off, she'll be okay once she gets home."

"So you want to talk about what happened?" Kyle asked cautiously.

"There's nothing to talk about. I decided to take your advice and see if there was anything still there."

"So what did you find out exactly?"

"That the girl that I loved is no longer here or anywhere for that matter. So you can rest easy tonight Kyle because that girl that just left our house is a stranger to me."

"I'm having mixed emotions about this Dean but for right now it works for me…"

"What?" Dean asked completely confused by Kyle's antics.

"Mary has this friend and from what I've been told she is a complete babe…I have to find her a date for New Year's Eve and I was hoping…"

"Go ahead and set it up, sounds like fun." Dean said confident as he carried the bed sheets passed Kyle towards the laundry room.


	7. Chapter 7

December 31

"I can't believe you have to leave tomorrow, I feel like you just got here." Lorelai whined to Rory while they both waited for their breakfast at Luke's.

"I know I wish I could stay longer."

Luke appeared at the side of the table with two plates of food. "Thanks Luke, oh but it looks like you forgot Rory's." Lorelai noted when he only put the two plates down.

"Funny." Luke turned to Rory who was also laughing at him now. "You know she never gives me this much trouble unless the two of you are together."

"Rory just said she wished she could stay longer…I think she should but I also think she is teasing me."

"Yeah of course, you should stay. I may pretend that I don't like it but it's actually been kind of fun having the two of you back together."

"Mom you know I have to go, I've already been gone a little over a week. That's like a year for a politician."

"I'll let the two of you get back to your breakfast." Luke said before walking away.

"Rory are you sure everything is going okay with work and all? I mean you just don't seem really happy anymore or as into it as you were in the beginning."

"I'm happy…" She started to defend herself to her mom when the door opened and he walked in.

It was amazing how in such a small town she managed to avoid him with little effort the entire rest of the week but he just happens to walk into Luke's on the last day that she would be in town. Her eyes followed him as he walked up to the counter and ordered coffee. Lorelai also took notice of the sudden drop of interest in their conversation and looked in his direction.

"I'll be right back." She said to her mom before standing and walking over to him. Lorelai watched as she walked towards Dean as if there were a magnet pulling them together. "Hey, do you have a minute…to talk?"

He was a bit surprised to see her considering he hadn't noticed her sitting when he walked inside. "Yeah I guess I have a few minutes."

"Good, just give me a second to tell my mom that I'm leaving." He nodded and she walked back to the table where Lorelai had been watching the whole time. "I need to talk to Dean; I'll be home later okay?"

"But you haven't even finished your breakfast."

"That's okay, I'm not that hungry."

"Liar…you're always hungry. And are you ever going to tell me what's really going on with you and Dean?"

"Mom, nothing is going on. We're just friends, I got to go, and I'll see you tonight." She rushed outside where Dean was now standing and waiting for her.

"Sorry about that, I just needed to tell her I was leaving." Rory explained while putting her jacket on at the same time.

"It's okay, there's no hurry. When I said I had a few minutes I meant it as a figure of speech, not literally."

"Right, that's good."

"Yeah…" Dean stood awkwardly not sure what to say. "So how was your Christmas?"

"Okay, we woke Luke up at four in the morning to open presents, he was thrilled, the one day he gets to sleep in and not have to open the diner."

"Yeah I'm sure." Dean laughed.

"How about you, did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah it was fun I guess."

"You want to walk a little? I feel awkward standing in front of Luke's."

"Oh yeah sure, let's walk."

Walking made it easier to talk because he was staring ahead instead of directly at her. "I want to apologize for what I said to you. I was such a bitch; I didn't mean any of it Dean. I don't want to leave things the way they are."

"Good because I don't either. My intentions that morning weren't to start a fight with you; I just need to know that you're truly happy. It doesn't even matter that I'm not there to see you; the only thing that matters is that you're really happy with where you are. It would be nice if that plan included me but it doesn't have to." He said now smiling. "I just need to hear from you that this is really where you think you should be right now."

"I'm not going to have this job forever Dean but while I do it is going to take everything from me. The one thing that I do know for sure is that I want you in my future, if nothing else as a friend."

Dean laughed. "Yeah well, you still didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"Are you really happy?" He looked back at her now saddened because he finally knew the truth, she wasn't happy, there was no need for her to answer the question anymore.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "I'm happy when I'm with you." At that moment both of them let their guard down, she was happy to find him not pushing her away in fear of someone seeing them together.

Dean looked around the street that they were standing in, there didn't seem to be many people out at all. "Come on." He pulled her up slightly but kept an arm around her while they walked a little farther. He stopped in front of Miss Patty's vacant studio. "Let's go inside."

Later…in Miss Patty's

"I have to leave tomorrow." Rory whispered still lying on his shoulder.

"Well I don't know how much it matters that I'm even saying this but I don't want you to go." Dean said taking a deep breath after getting it out.

"It matters…" She said while her fingers traced circles on his chest.

"You know that sort of tickles."

"Really? Then it's now my new favorite thing to do to you."

"You're going to torture me till the day I die, I know it. Just remember I know your spots too."

"Yes you do." She said certain. "So did Kyle give you a hard time about me?"

"No, I guess after what he saw happen he didn't want to bring you up again."

"Kyle is a really good friend to you, I like him."

"Yeah he's a good guy. And I'm sure he will be thrilled to know that we are cuddling and discussing him after sex." Dean said joking.

"You're right that probably would excite him."

"We probably should get out of here; you never know what Miss Patty has planned for the day."

"Yeah I guess we should." She shivered and pulled the blanket closer to her when he pulled away. "Hey Dean…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to make you love me again."

Not sure he had heard what she said correctly he stopped getting dressed and turned to face her. "What do you mean; you know I never stopped loving you?"

"Yeah but I mean really love me, like you used to. When you were so proud of me that you would never ask me to climb out of a window in fear that you would have to explain the situation to your roommate or for that matter run out of Miss Patty's in a hurry worried about someone catching us."

"Rory I'm not ashamed of you, I can't believe you would think that. But this thing goes both ways, you told me you couldn't have a relationship with me. Do you realize how this looks to everyone else when we aren't actually together? You don't live here anymore, you don't have to walk through the streets with everyone whispering about you and then later coming up all concerned about what they heard."

"None of that used to matter to you."

"Well we're not teenagers anymore either. You obviously have no idea how I really feel about you….we're adults now Rory, why are will still playing these games?"

"How do you feel about me?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a secret. If I had things my way, the two of us would be married and possibly already have kids. But both of us want completely different things, don't we?"

"We did…" She answered looking away from him.

"What do you mean we did?" He asked concerned.

"Just promise me that you won't give up on me yet." Dean thought about what she said for a moment, not sure how to respond, he just sat down and stared back at her.

"Rory please talk to me, I need to know what's in your head right now. Don't be scared to say it…"

"There is something that always brings me back to you, and you have to admit there's a reason behind it, I really think we belong together Dean." Tears began to fill her eyes and he reached to pull her closer. "I knew that I missed you but I had no idea I would have all these feeling like this for you again, I just don't know what to do and this is really starting to scare the hell out of me."

He held her while she cried. "Everything is going to be okay Rory."

A/N: Please review, the more reviews I get the more motivated I am to post the next chapter, which is ready.


	8. Chapter 8

"So what are we going to watch tonight to ring in our new year?" Lorelai asked taking a seat next to Rory on the couch.

"Anything is fine." She said cheerfully.

"So are you going to tell me about earlier?"

"About what?"

"When you and Dean disappeared together for nearly two hours…I assume it has something to do with this new cheerful mood that you're in."

Rory blushed. "Maybe it does. Is it a crime to spend a few hours with a friend and be happy afterwards?"

"Maybe it is for you Scrooge. Seriously though what's going on? Are you two thinking about getting back together?"

Rory thought about the question for a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to answer it. Yes they had thought about it but it wasn't exactly that easy. Lorelai knew from the look on her face that something definitely happened.

"Wait a minute; I know that look…the two of you are having sex, aren't you?"

"Mom, please not so loud." Rory said embarrassed.

"What, no one else is home."

"Yes but Babette is right next door, probably outside."

"Sorry, didn't realize it was such a sensitive subject."

"Well it is."

"Why? I mean this is a good thing right? I mean I can't even remember the last time you were in a relationship."

"That's because it has been a very long time and it will continue to get even longer."

"Why…Dean doesn't want to be in a relationship?"

"No, it's not Dean, it's me. How could I possibly be a good girlfriend to him with my job the way it is right now? It's not fair and I'm not dragging him through that, I've already caused him enough pain."

"So you're just going to drag him through the emotions of getting intimate again and then leave him behind? Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

"No obviously not but I told him everything before anything happened, I explained the situation."

"And what did he have to say about it?"

"Well basically he told me that we should be married."

"What?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"He thinks my job is taking away from my other life experiences, he wants me to move back home."

"Wow that had to be a somewhat awkward conversation."

"Yeah but not really, I mean everything he said is right. I'm almost thirty years old and what do I have besides a job that I don't even like that much? When you were my age, I was already twelve. Do you realize what that means?"

"What?"

"That even if I had a baby right now I will be forty when she is twelve, I'm going to be an old mom."

"You want kids?" Lorelai asked surprised.

"Well yeah I mean I always thought I would at least have one."

"A girl right?"

"Yeah how did you know?"

"You said she will be twelve." Lorelai said with a smile. "So did you and Dean talk about having kids too?"

"No." She answered quickly. "It was just a thought that I had I guess."

"Oh okay, well if you do want a kid, you should get on that because you may want to be an old mom but I don't want to be an old grandma."

"Of course you make this about you."

"So I need details…is it different now?"

"Is what different?" Rory asked looking at her mom as if she had gone crazy.

"You know what I'm referring to…the last time you two were intimate was years ago, has he learned any new tricks?"

Rory couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Mom, I can't talk about this with you, it's too embarrassing."

"Why not…we used to be able to talk about this stuff? Either you start talking or I will be forced to tell you about some of mine and Luke's stories to make you feel more comfortable talking about this."

"Oh God please mom, no. No offense but that is a subject I really don't need to know about. I will tell you as long as you promise to never bring that up again."

"Okay fine, I'm listening."

"Well it definitely wasn't the same as when we were younger. I mean it was good then but this week has been an awakening."

"In what way?"

"Dean gave me my first orgasm, and my second." Rory proudly announced still a bit embarrassed talking about the subject.

"Seriously, you never did before?" Rory shook her head and smiled. "What about Logan, all that time you never…"

"Nope, not even once."

"Well did you tell Dean about it?"

"Mom he was there, I think he knows what happened."

"No I mean did you tell him that it was your first? It's a big deal and you would make him one of the happiest men on the planet by telling him about it."

"Oh well no I didn't mention it." Rory fidgeted with her hands.

"So what's going to happen now? Are the two of you just going to act like nothing ever happened?"

"No mom, Dean means a lot to me, I love him. I guess I will just live miserably in New York dreaming of the day that we can actually be together again."

"Tell me again why you two can't be a couple since you both want to be?"

"Mom you know my job takes all of my time. You even get mad at me for not making time enough to see you, imagine being with someone and also never being able to see them."

"It would be hard but if you really love him, it will also be worth it for the time that you can spend together."

"Maybe you're right."

"What are doing here anyway?"

"What do you mean; we are celebrating New Years Eve together."

"There's a possibility that the love of your life is spending New Years Eve alone a few blocks away from you right now and you're sitting at home with your mother to watch a movie?"

"You think I should go to him?"

"Yes I do and I also think the two of you should talk everything over again, there has to be a way for you to work something out. Isn't seeing each other sometime better then never?"

"Yeah I guess it is."

"Go be with him, if he's the one responsible for making you smile again like this, I want you with him."

Rory hugged her mom happily before getting up from the couch and ran towards her old room to change. Luke happened to walk in just as Rory ran by the foyer and she nearly knocked him over.

"Oh sorry Luke, I was just going to change." She said with a smile.

Luke nodded and turned to Lorelai who was still watching from her seat on the couch.

"What's with her?"

"She's in love."


	9. Chapter 9

When she approached his door she was nearly out of breath due to her wasting no time at all to get there. A moment later she was greeted by his smile.

"Rory, what are you doing here?" He asked surprised.

She reached out and put her arms around him before answering. "I wanted to be with you for New Year's Eve." She pulled away and took another look at him. "Wow, you're all dressed up there, are you going out?"

"Yeah I am. Come inside, we should talk." He said pulling her hand and closing the door. He waited for her to take a seat on the couch before explaining.

"So where are you going?"

"I sort of have a date tonight." He could see that she looked hurt. "It's just a favor for Kyle and his girlfriend; she had this friend in town that needed a date for tonight. I haven't even met her yet."

"Oh."

"I wish I would have known a little earlier that you wanted to come over tonight because I would have called this thing off. But they're on their way over now."

"You know there's a terrible flu going around that you could have instantly caught."

Dean laughed. "Yeah but this is a favor to Kyle and he saw me about five minutes ago and I was just fine."

"Come on Dean there's always the truth…how about mentioning that it's your girlfriends last night in town and possibly the last time that you can be with her for quite some time."

"My girlfriend?" He asked a bit shocked. "I wasn't aware that I had a girlfriend."

"Well maybe you do, at least if you stay home with me tonight."

"Rory I can't just blow this girl off, I mean she would be alone tonight. I made a commitment and I don't like to break them."

"So you would rather be with her then me?" She asked sad.

"No, god Rory don't you see what you're asking me to do, she will be here in seconds? I just wish you would have mentioned this earlier, things could be different. Look, I don't think we will be out very late, I could call you or stop by your house on the way home."

"No…"

"Well do you want to wait here? I'll come home as soon as possible." He asked her while kneeling down in front of her as if he were almost begging.

She thought about it for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I'll wait here, as long as you promise you won't be late."

"I'll do my best. We will have our own New Year's, okay?"

"Yeah okay."

"So you want to wait in my room until we leave?"

"No, if I'm going to allow you to go on a date with another girl I'm at least going to see what she looks like."

"Well don't you think it will be a bit awkward introducing my girlfriend to my date?"

"No more awkward then it already is with you going out with her in the first place."

Kyle walked out into the living room noticing Rory and Dean right away as well as the strange position they were in.

"Dude, you're not like proposing are you?" Kyle asked confused.

Dean stood up and held out his hand to help Rory up as well. "No Kyle, we were just talking."

"Good, I thought I had interrupted or something. Hey wait; you're still going tonight right?" He asked suddenly scared.

"Yeah I'm going. Rory is going to wait here for me." Dean kept eye contact with her as he said the words to make sure she meant it and that she would really be here when he returned. Their eye contact was broken by the sudden knock at the door.

"Dean actually before you get that, I think I will go to your room. I'll see you later tonight." She gave him a quick kiss and walked away before Kyle opened the door.

He watched her as she walked away and into his room. Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach he had a feeling that this could be the last time that he ever saw her again.

Later…..

Rory awoke suddenly. It took a moment to remember where she was until she remembered falling asleep in Dean's bed earlier that night. Dean was nowhere in sight and the house was still quiet. Reaching for her cell phone she was shocked to see that it was almost three in the morning, and at the same time realized there were no missed calls from Dean. She became worried and angry at the same time, not sure what else to do she dialed his cell. It rang several times and went to voicemail; she didn't bother leaving a message. Instead she turned on the light and searched the room for a piece of paper to write on.

Dean,

I wish I had happier things to write in this letter but I realize now that we were never really meant to be. The two of us may as well live on different planets; I guess sometimes things just don't work out, even when you really want them to. It's funny though, I never thought I would be the one waiting for you. I really hope you find what you're looking for, Happy New Year.

Love,

Rory

She folded the note and left it on top of the pillow. Quickly gathering the few things that she brought with her she made a quick exit and drove back to her mom's house.


	10. Chapter 10

"Kyle I can't believe you would do this to me, you knew how important it was that I got back home tonight."

"Calm down man, it will be okay, I'm sure she is still waiting there for you."

"Will you just open the door so I can find my phone?" Dean asked impatiently.

"Why did you leave it in the car in the first place?"

"Obviously I didn't mean to leave it behind. I realized it fell out of my pocket about two hours ago, I've been looking for you ever since." He explained as he scanned the backseat for his phone and quickly noticed it on the floor. He picked it up and looked at the screen. "Great she called me like twenty minutes ago. Why are we even still here, you told me we wouldn't be late?" Dean asked while listening to his voicemail.

"It's New Year's Eve; I mean the party is just beginning. I hope you haven't been as rude to Kelly tonight as you're being to me right now."

"Excuse me Kyle; do you even realize what's happening right now? I could lose her, forever. Don't you even care what happens between Rory and me?"

"Well I did until I saw how she treated you last week. I thought you were done with her, you said you were done. Honestly Dean I think you should stop being the one who has to sacrifice everything."

"I really can't have this conversation with you right now, give me your keys, I have to find her before she leaves."

"How will we get back home?"

"Figure something out; you've made friends with half the people in there tonight." Dean said taking the keys from his hand.

Dean quickly got into the car and drove as fast as he could towards his apartment. Pulling into the driveway he noticed right away that Rory's car was gone, not wanting to waste anymore time he backed up and headed towards Lorelai's house. On the way there he tried her cell again but there was still no answer.

Lorelai opened the door to find a very sad Dean on the other side. "I'm really sorry to wake you this early but is Rory here?"

"Dean no that's okay we were already awake, Rory woke us before she left. She said she had to get back to work. You want to come in?" She asked sympathetically.

"No, I should get home myself." He said starting to turn around to leave but only made it about halfway before turning back. "So how long ago did she leave?"

"About half an hour ago, I thought the two of you were together, didn't she go to your place last night?"

"Yeah she did, but I was an idiot. When she calls you will you let her know that I love her?" Dean asked almost tearful.

"Yeah I could but why don't you just call and tell her yourself?"

"I've tried, she won't answer my calls."

"Dean what happened?"

"Nothing, I guess I took the situation for granted. I just can't believe it was me who actually messed things up this time." He turned around and began to walk away.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" He said turning back around to face her.

"She loves you, she told me that herself. Whatever happened tonight can't be so bad that it has to tear the two of you apart again." She gave him a moment to respond before continuing but he never did. "You want to know what I really think?" Lorelai asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.

He nodded and waited for her reasoning.

"You're both scared to admit that you're supposed to be together. You've messed up what the two of you had so much in the past that you're automatically telling yourselves that it isn't supposed to work now. I mean there is a reason why when the two of you are together everyone in the room is watching…they all know the two of you belong together but they're waiting to see if the two of you have figured it out yet. It's like watching a fairytale unfold and everyone is waiting for the happy ending."

"I'm just afraid that this could be our ending."

"Only if you let it be."

"Can you give me her address in New York?"

"Yeah I'll be right back." She said smiling as she walked back inside the house. She returned a moment later with a piece of paper in her hand. "This is it, that's also her home phone at the bottom…she wouldn't expect you to have that number, of course you will have to wait a few hours to call."

"Thanks Lorelai, for everything." He said as he finally left the porch and ran back to the car.

Getting inside he realized he would need to go back to the apartment before leaving to switch Kyle's car for his truck. While there he figured he may as well change and pack a few things to take with him, he wasn't sure how long he would be gone. Just as he was about to leave the room he noticed the note lying on the pillow. He stared at his name in the familiar handwriting before opening it, he knew he may not want to know what the inside said and this seemed to delay what he already knew. Unfolding the note carefully he began to read and suddenly felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. He sat down on the bed as the words he read echoed in his head.

A/N: Next chapter is ready to be posted, so please review.


	11. Chapter 11

3 Months later…

Dean sat next to the window in Luke's drinking coffee when Lorelai walked inside. Both of them made eye contact and smiled at each other. After giving a quick wave to Luke at the counter she decided to take a seat at Dean's table.

"Hey Dean."

"Hey Lorelai, is everything okay?" He asked a bit confused.

"Yeah, everything's fine, why do you ask?"

"Well you've barely said three words to me this year and now you're sitting at my table."

"Am I not allowed to say hello?" She asked defensively.

"No you are, it's just that you don't…much."

"You're right and you know I should more often. How have things been Dean?"

"Okay, I've been busy with work."

"With Taylor or Tom?"

"Both actually."

"That's good, so you're off today?"

"Yeah, finally."

"I really suck at this small talk…"

"No really you're doing a great job." Dean said laughing. "What is it that you really want to say Lorelai?"

"Have you talked to Rory lately?"

"No, she made it very clear that she wanted nothing more to do with me."

"Dean…"

"There is nothing that I can do, I called her several times for days and she never answered or returned my calls."

"But Dean you should really talk to her, rather or not she thinks so she really needs you right now."

"If that's true then she knows how to find me."

"Dean please just trust me this time, you should go see her."

"Why?"

"Because I know she wants to see you but she is stubborn and she is never going to admit that she was wrong."

"That's because she didn't do anything wrong." Dean stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. "Lorelai look if she really wants to see me all she has to do is call and I would be there in a second. If you want you can let her know that, but I don't think it's going to do much good. I'll see you later." He said walking towards the door to leave.

"Yeah." Lorelai continued to stare straight ahead out of the window until Luke broke her concentration.

"Hey, here's your coffee." He said sitting it down in front of her. "Did the two of you talk about Rory?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to convince him to go see her but he won't, he is being just as stubborn as she is."

"You will just have to let the two of them work out there own problems."

"I know that Luke but it's not fair to Dean, he doesn't know the whole story."

"Why don't you just tell him the whole story then?"

"You know I can't do that, it has to come from Rory. That's why I'm trying to get him to just show up at her apartment. I think if she sees him face to face that she will tell him everything."

The door to the diner suddenly flew open and Sookie stormed inside in a panic.

"Lorelai I have been looking all over for you. And where is your cell phone?"

"Oh it's in my car charging. Why Sookie, what is it, what's wrong?"

"It's Rory…you haven't seen the news have you?"

"No, what's going on?"

"Is there a TV around we could watch?" Sookie asked turning to Luke.

"Yeah sure upstairs, come on let's go."

Sookie tried to explain as they made their way up the stairs.

"There was a shooting today during the speeches, I know Rory was there. Jackson and I were watching it live today and I saw her. One minute we were talking about how exciting it was to see Rory on television and the next, oh it was terrible. I tried to look for her but everything got chaotic and we didn't even see her at all anymore."

"Oh my god Sookie what if she was shot?"

Sookie shook her head uncertain and Luke quickly turned on the news. All three of them watched in horror as the reporter explained that several people had been shot and taken to the hospital.

"I have to get there." Lorelai said in a panic.

"Lorelai wait, call her cell first, hopefully she is okay." Luke said hoping for the best.

"Sookie can I borrow your phone?"

"Yeah of course." She quickly handed it over to her.

She dialed and waited for an answer but all she got was voicemail. "There's no answer, I have to get there now."

"I'll drive." Luke quickly volunteered.

"I'll call as soon as we know something okay Sookie?"

"Okay."

They were on the road for nearly an hour when Lorelai's cell began to ring startling both of them who were previously riding in silence. She didn't recognize the number but she recognized the area code.

"Hello?"

"Is this Lorelai Gilmore?" A woman asked.

"Yes it is."

"I'm calling from Cabrini Medical Center; your daughter was admitted here today."

"Is she okay?"

"She is in surgery now, we won't know much until afterwards."

"She was shot then?"

"Yes but she was conscious when she arrived here, I think she will be fine but like I said we won't know everything until after the surgery."

"Where was she shot?" Luke looked at Lorelai worried.

"The doctor will explain everything to you when you get here. Are you able to make it here in the next couple of hours?"

"Yes, we are on our way now."

"Hopefully she will be in recovery by the time you arrive. We will see you soon."

"Thank you for calling." Lorelai quickly hung up the phone and turned to Luke to explain. "So she was shot, and she is currently in surgery. That's all she would tell me until we get there." Tears began to feel her eyes. "I don't know what I'll do if something happens to her."

"Lorelai everything is going to be okay. Rory is a very strong person, she will pull through this."

"Yeah but what about the baby?"

A/N: Thanks to all of you reviewing this story, I'm glad to know that you're enjoying it. This will probably be the last update until after Christmas, that is unless I'm overwhelmed with reviews to update sooner. Anyways hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.


	12. Chapter 12

Kyle quickly stood from the couch when he heard keys on the other side of the door. Dean stepped inside but stopped as soon as he noticed the strange look he was getting from Kyle.

"Dean where the hell have you been?" Kyle asked frantically still holding the phone.

"I was just out, taking a drive. Why, what's with you?"

"I've tried to call you like twenty times. Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I turned it off; I just wanted a day of quiet, if that's okay?"

"Clearly you have no idea what happened today. Haven't you seen or heard the news?"

"Kyle I told you…I've been alone all day driving. What's going on?"

"Lorelai called here and asked for you, she said she tried your cell but there wasn't an answer…"

"Are you kidding me? Is she still hung up on me going to see Rory? I swear she isn't going to give up."

"No Dean wait." Kyle was quiet for a moment not sure how to say it. "It is about Rory, but it's not what you think it is."

Taking notice of the scared look on Kyle's face Dean began to panic himself. "What then, what's going on?"

"Rory was shot today."

"What?"

"She is in the hospital and last I heard she was still in surgery. Lorelai has been trying to find you for like the last three hours."

Dean legs instantly collapsed from beneath him; luckily the couch was behind him to break his fall. "I don't understand how this happened. Who would want to shoot Rory?"

"She was working…walking outside after the speech on television today. Some crazy person had a gun and he shot several people. Rory was one of the lucky ones; it's all over the news."

"Lucky, how is she lucky? We don't even know if she is going to be okay, I mean where was she shot?"

"I don't know all of the details; I just meant that some people didn't even make it to the hospital alive."

"I have to get there, do you know which hospital?"

"Yeah I wrote all the information down for you here." Kyle grabbed a piece of paper from the table and handed it to him. Dean tried to stand from his sitting position but instantly fell back down. "Hey man, maybe I should drive you there."

"Thanks but I should just drive myself, I doubt I'll be coming back home tonight." He explained gaining back his balance and finally standing on his feet.

"Well if you need anything just call and also make sure you call as soon as you know how she is too."

"I will, thanks Kyle."

At the hospital…

Rory's eyes slowly opened and tried to adjust to the bright light. The first thing she noticed was the sound of her mother's voice.

"Rory honey."

"Mom." She managed to get out groggily.

"Yeah it's me, how are you feeling?"

"I don't really feel anything."

"Well that's probably a good thing considering you have a bullet hole in your side." She said trying to make light of the situation. "The doctor said your surgery went fine and that you should be back to normal in a week or two."

Rory's hands moved up to her stomach and she smoothed the blanket out across the small bump there. "What about the baby, is she going to be okay?"

Lorelai smiled before answering. "Yeah everything is fine. The bullet went towards your back instead of to the side where it would have had a huge effect on the baby and probably an even bigger effect on yourself. The doctor said you both were really lucky." Rory smiled back at her mom glad to hear the good news. "Look up there." She pointed to the heart monitor beside the bed. "That line on the top is your heartbeat and underneath is the baby's."

Luke suddenly opened the door to the room surprising both of them who were so caught up talking to each other. "Rory, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" He asked taking a few steps into the room but still keeping a certain distance from the bed.

"I feel okay; I guess that's pretty good considering."

"That's great. Do you mind if I borrow your mom for a few minutes? The nurse out here has all these forms to fill out, I tried to do what I could of them but there are a few things that I don't know."

"No go ahead, I'm fine."

"You sure, I could just do that stuff later."

"No I'm sure it's important, go ahead, really I'm fine."

"Okay we'll be right outside though if you need us."

"I know mom." She said now laughing at her as she closed the door.

As soon as she turned away from the door to walk towards the nurse's station she noticed Dean walking towards her down the hall. "Well at least something good might come out of this whole mess." Lorelai whispered to Luke before Dean was close enough to hear them.

"Stay out of it Lorelai, they have to work this out, not you."

"I know that." She said under her breath while continuing to smile at Dean as he approached them.

"I came as soon as I got your message. How is she?" Dean asked still clearly scared.

"You have perfect timing, she actually just woke up. Everything is going to be okay; the doctor said she will have to stay in the hospital for a few nights though. You want to go in and see her?"

"Yeah I do." He said taking a deep breath. "It's funny though, I swore to myself that no matter what, she would have to come to me and now here I am."

"Maybe there is a higher power at work here trying it's best to get two stubborn people together." Luke quickly gave her the mind your own business look. "Go ahead in, we have some paperwork to take care of but we'll be back in a little bit."

"You know what; neither of us has eaten today. So we're going to grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria when we're done here. It will also give the two of you some time to talk alone." Luke quickly interjected.

Dean nodded before continuing towards the door. They both stood still watching until Dean was in the room and the door shut behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

When he walked into the room she was facing the other direction, he took notice that she seemed to be in a trance staring at the monitors beside her bed.

The sudden sound of her voice startled him, he was not expecting it. "Mom, did the doctor say what the third line was for?" She asked not turning around to make sure that it was her that she was talking to.

"I could check for you, if it's important." He managed to get out a bit choked up on his words.

Rory quickly turned around to face her new visitor with a surprised look on her face. "Dean, what are you doing here?"

"Your mom called me, well she left a message with Kyle…I came as soon as I heard what happened." He waited a moment to see if she would say something back but she didn't. "Your mom told me that the doctor said that you're going to be okay."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Well how are you feeling? I mean obviously not very well, you were shot, but you're a lot more alert then I thought you would be." He asked walking a little closer to the edge of her bed.

"I feel okay right now, but just give it time, the drugs haven't worn off yet from surgery." She fidgeted with her hands for a second before speaking again. "Dean please don't take this the wrong way but why did you come here?"

"Rory last time we were together I meant every word that I said to you. You can't expect me to stay home and pretend that I don't care for you especially when something like this happens. That night when I came home I got your address from your mom and then I went home to pack a bag because I was going to find you and apologize no matter what it took but then I found your letter and it broke my heart. I made one of the dumbest decisions of my life that night; I should have never left you there alone."

"Dean there's something I need to tell you…" She was about to explain when the door to the room opened again and a nurse walked inside rolling a cart with her.

"Hello Rory, my name is Brenda and I'll be your nurse for tonight. It's nice to see you awake; we were especially worried about you when you came in." She talked as she got the contents on her cart ready for an ultrasound. "We already did an ultrasound earlier but you weren't awake for it so I thought you might want to see for yourself that your baby is doing just fine."

Rory looked over at a now pale Dean. The nurse took notice of the looks exchanged. "I'm sorry, if you don't want anyone else in the room we can have him step out until we're done."

Dean suddenly felt the urge to throw up but managed to hold it back. He felt like he was having a dream and he was going to wake up now at any moment. For the second time today he felt like his legs were going to collapse from under him.

"No that's okay, he should stay, he's the father." She explained without looking away from him.

"Okay, I just need to pull down the covers for a few minutes. I know its cold so we will be as brief as possible with this." She explained as she rolled the covers down and revealed Rory's pregnant stomach to Dean for the first time. "This gel won't help matters either."

Rory cringed when she spread the gel across her belly. It wasn't long before a swooshing sound filled the room and a blurry picture appeared on the screen. "Okay here we go; did you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Rory nodded yes and a tear slipped from her eye. Dean quickly wiped it away with his thumb and reached for her hand to hold at the same time.

"You're going to have a baby girl."

"Really?" Rory asked smiling through her tears now.

"Yeah, you see right here?" She asked pointing with a mouse on the screen. "Normally it's hard to tell this early because the baby isn't as cooperative as it would be further along in the pregnancy but both of you have gone through a lot of trauma today and it's causing the baby to be more active. That's the one thing that the doctor is worried about for you Rory."

"What do you mean?"

"Well in most cases when something this traumatic happens during pregnancy, the mother will go into premature labor. You were both very lucky this time; there is no way your baby would have survived if you had to deliver today. This also means you have to go through the rest of your pregnancy using very high caution. You need to be in an environment with no stress at all, this means you will not be able to work for the remainder of your pregnancy."

"But everything is okay; Rory and the baby are going to be fine right? I mean as long as she follows the doctors orders?" Dean asked suddenly speaking for the first time since the nurse entered the room.

"Yes everything should be fine." The nurse said smiling. "I'm going to print a few pictures of the baby for you to keep." She explained as she cleaned up the gel and helped Rory to get comfortable again in her bed.

"Thank you." Rory said when she handed her the pictures from the ultrasound.

"You're welcome…your doctor should be by within the next hour to check on you." She said before exiting the room with her cart leaving the two of them alone once again.

Dean took a seat in the chair next to the bed. He waited for her to say something first, he already decided that he wasn't going to be the first one to speak.

"I know I should have told you about this sooner."

"Yeah normally the father finds out a few seconds after the mother. How could you keep something like this from me Rory? I mean is this my punishment for not coming back that night?"

"No Dean, it's not. I've just been so scared about all of it. We weren't together and I didn't know how to tell you. After how I left that night I didn't think you would want to see me again. When I found out that I was pregnant all I could think about were the words I wrote to you in that letter and how much I regretted them."

"A baby changes everything Rory, we're not kids anymore and it's time we started acting like it." Suddenly realizing something Dean began to laugh out loud.

"What?"

"Now I get it, your mom has been pushing me to come see you now for almost a month. She's known all along about the baby hasn't she?"

"Yeah…she has also been pushing me to tell you."

"I really wish you would have Rory. I really want to be around for all of this, I'm actually a bit upset that I've already missed three months of it."

"You really mean that Dean?"

"Yeah of course I do." He tried to understand what she meant. "Did you think that I wouldn't want this baby, is that why you didn't call me?"


	14. Chapter 14

"No, I think what scared me the most was that I knew that you really would want this baby, more then anything."

"So what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, the whole idea of it is perfect and you're perfect, I just don't know if I'm ready to be part of that ideal world yet. I mean I thought I was, I really did, but now I don't know."

"Rory just because you're pregnant doesn't mean that we have to get married. I mean I'm not saying that I don't want to marry you, I just don't want you to feel pressured into that."

"I know that Dean but the one thing I look back at from my childhood and wonder about is how different things would have been if my parents had stayed together and I got to grow up in the same house with both of them."

"Well one thing is for sure no matter what we decide this kid will know her father and she will definitely have wonderful memories to look back on."

"Dean there's something else I need to tell you." She looked at him guiltily.

"Okay, what is it?"

"That first night we were together at Christmas…"

"Yeah…"

"I told you that I was on the pill and that you didn't have to worry about using anything."

"Yeah I remember."

"I lied to you; this baby is something that I've wanted now for a while. The Christmas before last I was really hoping you would be in town. I thought maybe if we started talking then maybe we would become a couple again and maybe even talk about, well I've never actually had this conversation with you before so I wasn't sure…"

"You didn't know rather or not I wanted kids?"

"Well yeah just because we've never really talked about the subject. I was having so many doubts that you would even want a family until you mentioned being married with kids that day at Miss Patty's."

"So what happened…you thought the talk wasn't necessary this year and just…"

"No Dean, it's not like that. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind since I went back to New York until I saw you in the kitchen that day. All of a sudden I felt like I had no control over my future anymore, I fell for you again so fast. Just the idea of having you back in my life again, it made me feel alive for the first time in years." She looked up from her hands and looked him in the eye. "Dean I'm sorry but I knew that if I didn't do this now that it would never happen, I couldn't take the risk of you saying no. I guess the one thing I wasn't expecting was for you to still want to date other people; I don't think I've ever felt as lonely as I did when you left with her that night. That's also when I got scared and started to second guess my decision."

"Rory none of this makes any sense. If you wanted a relationship with me, why was the first thing you told me was that what we were doing was just for fun, you said you didn't want any strings attached. Do you know how much that killed me inside to agree to something like that?"

"When you were married to Lindsay you didn't seem to want kids and…"

"Rory when I was married to Lindsay I was eighteen and still in love with you, why the hell would I ever bring a child into that?"

"I just wanted this so bad the year before and I thought I had changed my mind but then I saw you again and all of those feelings came back."

"Alright just forget about anything that's happened in the past, I need to know the truth now Rory, how do you really feel about me? How do you really feel about having this baby?"

"Honestly right now I feel like I've made a mistake."

"Just because of what happened on New Year's eve? Rory you know that she meant absolutely nothing to me. If you would have just been honest then and told me what was really going on do you think I would have still gone out with them?"

"Dean I didn't know that I was pregnant then. Besides I tried to make you stay, you said it would make you look bad if you canceled at that point, you were more worried about what she thought of you then what I did."

"No matter how many times I apologize you're never going to forgive me for that night, are you?"

"I don't know, did you have any fun?" She asked pouting her lips.

"No I was miserable the entire time. I don't even know what the hell I was thinking; as soon as we left the house I knew I wanted to just be with you. I really tried to leave, you have to believe me."

"I do believe you Dean; I just wish things could have turned out differently."

"Why exactly are we not allowed to make things right now? Rory I know we haven't really ever talked about this before but you are the only person I've ever thought about having kids with." He said smiling. "Even when we were younger, I always imagined that we would get married and have kids, it really hurt when I realized you liked Jess more then me, I've never admitted this before, even though it's kind of obvious, I married Lindsay thinking it would help me to move on and stop thinking about you so much. I guess we all know now how much that plan backfired."

An instant smile appeared on her face at the sudden confession. "Dean you don't have to tell me this, I know that you love me and you also know that I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But I have to admit it's really nice to hear."

"Rory I've made so many mistakes in my life, I don't know if it's your stubbornness to not be able to see something that's right in front of you or my denial about not being the one that can keep a smile on that face for the rest of your life. A few months ago you wanted something from me and you got it and I'm glad that you did but now there's something that I want from you." He held her hand once again before continuing. Her heart must have been racing at that moment because he could feel her pulse clearly through her hand or maybe it was just the adrenaline from both of them. "Rory let's do this thing right, there is nothing I want more then for us to be together and for our baby to grow up with both of her parents…you would make me the happiest man alive if you would be my wife?"

A/N: Does she say yes or no…you can find the answer by going to my myspace page. The first 400 words of the next chapter our posted there in my blog. Don't forget to review.


	15. Chapter 15

A very stunned Rory could do nothing but stare back at him, she tried to speak but nothing came from her lips. "I…" Dean knew she was nervous he noticed her lips trembling as she tried to speak.

"Rory…I know you're having doubts about this right now but I promise we can do this, we can make this work." He began to get worried, last time she stumbled on her words like that was when he first told her that he loved her and she wasn't able to say it back.

"I could have died today." She finally managed to get out. A bit taken aback Dean waited to see where she would go with this. "I would have died alone and my mom would have had to tell you about our baby." She said sniffling trying to stop the tears from falling. "I've been given a second chance to make things right, and I don't want to mess things up this time. Dean I promise I'm going to make all these years up to you, I want everything with you."

"Are you saying yes?"

She smiled. "Yes…yes I want to get married." He hugged her as best he could making sure not to disturb the bandage on her side from surgery. Before he could pull away she used all of the strength she had left in her body to pull him back and kiss him passionately. They both smiled at each other as their lips finally parted.

His hand slowly and gently made its way to her stomach under the covers. "I can't believe we're going to be parents."

"I can't believe how fat I'm getting."

"What? Rory don't be crazy, you're beautiful."

"No, wait until you see me outside of this bed. My stomach isn't the only thing gaining weight; you may want to reconsider that proposal once I'm back on my feet." She joked with him.

"Yeah sure I'm just going to throw away a dream I've had since I was sixteen because you've gained ten pounds, I don't think so. Besides no one is more sexy to me then the women carrying my baby." Dean noticed the goose bumps that suddenly formed on her arm. "Are you cold or is what I'm saying having that much of an affect on you?"

"Well I think it's a little of both, but if you got into bed with me we could probably solve both of the problems at once."

"Rory, we can't do that here."

"Why not, it's a private room and people should knock before coming in anyway."

"Rory, you just got out of surgery. What if I accidentally hurt you?"

That last thought was interrupted by a quick knock at the door and it quickly opened. Lorelai poked her head inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two but I left my purse in here which also has my cell in it and I promised Sookie I would call with all of the updates…"

"Mom it's okay, come inside."

Lorelai did as instructed and closed the door behind her as she entered the room. She quickly took notice of the silence and the fact that both Rory and Dean seemed to be watching her as she walked over to her purse.

"So how is everything going in here? I mean are we both happy to see each other?" Lorelai asked hopeful while noticing that Dean held Rory's hand in his own.

"Yes we are both very happy to see each other…" Rory explained her eyes now back on Dean.

"So you told him then?"

"No she didn't…the nurse did. It's okay though, it'll make for an interesting story to tell our kids when they get older." Dean said making both of them laugh a little.

"Wait a minute, kids? What is it that I don't know? Rory you're not having twins are you?"

"No mom I'm not having twins. Dean and I have decided to get married and it seems that we both want more children, that's all you've really missed." She joked.

Lorelai began to smile. "Not that I'm complaining but I've spent the last month trying everything to get the two of you together so that you could talk and you're telling me that after only fifteen minutes alone with each other you've decided to get married?"

"Yes that is exactly what we are telling you."

"Well good, this is good." Lorelai took a seat in the chair next to the window. "This is really good. So does this mean you're coming home?"

"We haven't exactly discussed all of the details yet…like you said earlier; we've only been talking for about fifteen minutes..."

Dean's smile slowly faded into a smaller one. When he asked her to marry him he also assumed that Rory would want to raise their baby in the same town they both grew up in but now things could be different, she had after all lived in the city for a few years now, maybe she assumed he would want to move here.

"Honestly though I really think I'd like to come home and have you around to help…I mean I have no experience with babies, what if I suck as a mom? But then there is the fact that Dean's family is here now." She explained looking back to Dean. "I thought you may want to be near your family, I mean I know they would also be lots of help." She explained to Dean.

Now he had mixed emotions about the topic, thirty seconds ago he was all for staying in Star's Hollow but the fact that he may need his parents help never did cross his mind, until now. Guilt suddenly hit him as well, assuming Rory would only have her own reasons for staying here; he was surprised to hear that it was him she was thinking of. "Maybe we should just think about it for a few days and then we can make the decision together."

"Yeah you probably shouldn't plan the rest of your life while you're still on drugs from your surgery anyway. At this point you two should probably just leave it at getting married. You need to focus on getting better and then all of this can be decided when you've both had time to think about the future." Lorelai said.

Another knock at the door drew all of their attention to it. Luke walked inside but didn't say anything yet in fear that he would be interrupting. "Sorry Luke, I was on my way back when these two informed me that they have decided to get married."

"Married…really?" Luke asked surprised.

"Yeah isn't this great? I told you something good was going to come out of this."

"Well yeah, that is great news. And the even better news is that Rory and the baby are going to be fine." Luke smiled sincerely but still confused at the sudden arrangement. "Lorelai I hate to do this but I just called the diner and Lane doesn't have a set of keys, by the way Rory she sends her love and she said to tell you that she is going to come see you as soon as she gets a chance to get away for a day or two."

"Thanks Luke, I'll give her a call later."

"Anyway they will have to close in a few hours and no one else has a set of keys and the only other set is locked inside the apartment upstairs. So I'm going to have to head back in the next couple of minutes in order to make it there by closing time."

"Oh okay well, maybe I should just stay here, I mean I don't want to leave Rory alone."

"She won't be alone Lorelai, I'm not going anywhere until she does." Dean quickly explained.

"Right of course you're going to stay, I was just offering in case you needed to get back for some reason." Lorelai said a bit stunned by the fact that her daughter didn't seem to need her there anymore.

"Kyle would be the only person I'd be going home to and I think he will be fine without me for a while." Dean said laughing a little at the thought.

"Well I guess I will see you tomorrow." She said hugging Rory goodbye.

"Mom you don't have to make the trip back here, I mean the doctor said I would most likely be going home sometime tomorrow and Dean is here to help me. If you're needed at work I understand, I know you're busy this time of year."

Lorelai looked at her sad but happy at the same time. "Okay then, I'll call you in the morning."

"Alright." Lorelai pulled away and walked towards the door where Luke was still standing.

"Bye guys, drive home safely." Dean said before they both left.

"We will, you take care of her." Lorelai said before finally pulling the door shut leaving the two of them alone.

Dean looked back at Rory just as the door shut. "I plan on it." He said to her softly making her smile.


	16. Chapter 16

Rory sat straight up waiting miserably on her hospital bed. "I don't understand why I have to wait for a wheelchair…I can walk fine, I mean they force you to walk in the hallways while you're here but then regardless of how well you are make you leave in a wheelchair. It doesn't make any sense." She complained.

"It's just hospital procedure; it's really not a big deal. At least we're finally getting out of here, let's just go with it." He reasoned with her while rubbing her back trying to soothe her temper a bit.

"Fine, but if it's such an important procedure shouldn't there be wheelchairs available in all of the nurses stations? She has been gone for almost twenty minutes."

"Rory listen to me, you have to calm down. This is not something you should be upset about, the doctor said no stress remember, you're creating it right now."

She didn't get a chance to fight back because the nurse finally pushed the wheelchair into the room. The nurse smiled but nothing was said as Rory quickly jumped up off the bed and into the chair. "Let's go" She muttered. Dean looked to the nurse apologetically and followed them out the door.

The ride back to her apartment was unusually quiet, with the exception of the occasional turn here. He didn't complain though, it was after all the first time she hadn't argued about something since the day he arrived at the hospital. Three days they spent in the hospital and not once did he leave her side except to run to the cafeteria for food but he quickly returned. He helped her up the steps at the front of her apartment building, he was happy to see the elevator considering she had just said they were going to the tenth floor. Rory unlocked the door and they both walked inside, Dean finally seeing where she lived for the first time.

"This is nice…"

"Thanks, it's a little messy though. I didn't have time to clean this week." She explained beginning to pick shoes and a shirt from the floor.

"Uh yeah and you're not going to start now either, put it down." He said motioning to her hands that were now full.

"Dean I'm not useless…I've been sitting in that bed for three days straight doing nothing. You can't expect me to come home and do the same thing."

"Fine then go sit on the couch."

"Dean…" She whined.

"Look I'll make a deal with you." She folded her hands in front of her waiting to hear what he had to say. "If you promise me you'll lay down for a while and just relax, I'll get all of this cleaned up and then we will go out for dinner. Wherever you want to go…"

"Okay but…"

"What?"

"Well I was thinking we should just stay here and I could save that energy for tonight. I mean I have plenty of food in the fridge, if you're willing to cook."

"Is that why you're so irritable, you want to…"

"Yeah okay, we'll go with that. Even though I think it has more to do with the fact that I'm pregnant and my body feels different everyday, not to mention I'm thinking I've already hit that stage of pregnancy where I'm just horny all day."

Dean laughed. "Okay we'll stay here; I'm willing to do anything that will put you in a better mood."

"Thank you…you know what else I need?"

"What's that?"

"A shower."

"I second that, there's something about hospital showers that make you feel dirtier after them then you did before you got in."

"Yeah, the doctor said that I should avoid getting this bandage wet. I think it's easier said then done." She explained sadly looking down at her bandaged side.

"You want me to help you, I mean I do need a shower myself, we could just take one together."

"Dean that is the best idea you've had all day."

A/N: Yeah I know this is short, but so are the reviews. The last chapter I posted only got two, I need more motivation then that to keep this going.


	17. Chapter 17

When she rolled over in bed her arm hit a cold empty spot and immediately caused her to sit up searching the room for Dean. Slowly getting out of bed she walked into the living room in search for him, happy to find him sitting on the couch.

"What are you doing?" She asked sleepily walking over to join him on the couch.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you, I thought I was being quiet."

"You were, a little too quiet, and it scared me when I woke up and you weren't there. What's wrong anyway, you can't sleep?"

"Not really…is it always this loud in the city?" He asked motioning to the window insinuating the horns and sirens they went off throughout the night.

"Yes it is; big difference from the peaceful nights in Stars Hollow isn't it?"

"You could say that…"

She noticed the sad look on his face, the room was dark and she was almost positive he was holding something back from her. "Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"

"Is it that obvious?" He asked looking at her.

"What is it?" She asked softly.

"Everything is just so up in the air right now…it's scary. I mean are you really going to leave your job? A few months ago I practically begged you to and it was out of the question, it just makes me think that even the situation we are in now isn't enough."

"Well nothing has been decided for sure yet, I mean if we end up staying here in New York it may be a good idea to keep my job, I could just travel less and work here in the office…"

"Rory I'm sorry but I don't want to live here, there is a reason why I didn't move here with my family. I love Stars Hollow and honestly I think it would be the best environment to raise our baby."

"Okay." She let out a huge breath before continuing. "My lease is up next month, we'll move then."

"So then you want to move back to Stars Hollow then? Just like that, you've made up your mind?" Dean asked a bit shocked.

"Yes. If that's where you're going to be then so am I. Besides I made the decision to make this baby without you, I could at least let you make this decision without giving you a hard time about it. It's time to start thinking of you and the baby too; it's not just about me anymore."

"You're serious about this…you really mean it?"

"Of course I do, I told you that someday I would be ready and I guess that today is someday. I mean we're getting married Dean…did you really think I would choose my job over you?"

"Honestly yes I was a little afraid of that, but you saying that makes me feel a lot better."

She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. "Was there any of that pasta left over from dinner?"

"Yeah there was plenty…why are you hungry again?"

"A little." She explained rubbing her belly.

"I'll go warm some up for you." He tried to get up from the couch but she pulled him back down.

"Wait…I'm not sure if that's what I want." He didn't respond instead just waited for what she said next. "Ice cream would be really good right now."

He laughed. "Why do I get the feeling that there is no ice cream in this apartment?"

"Yeah you're right…no ice cream." She said with a sad face.

"That's okay; if you want ice cream I will go to the store and get you some ice cream."

"No, I don't want you to leave. It's late and I doubt the store is even open."

"So what do you want then?"

"Chinese…"

"Do they deliver this late or are they even open?"

"No I guess not. Maybe I'll just have some fruit or something, that's quick and easy."

"Not to mention we actually have it in the house." He quickly added before getting up to retrieve it. "Apple or orange?" He asked holding out the two. "I would have brought the banana too but I think it's been here a while now."

"The apple is fine, thank you." She took a bite out of it and watched him as he wandered over to the window and looked down at the noisy street below. "I'm going to have trouble getting you back to bed tonight aren't I?"

"Back to bed…no, I think the biggest problem will be falling asleep."

"Dean everything is going to be okay, we're both ready for this, I promise that things are going to be different this time."

He turned around to face her and smiled back trying not to laugh. "Not because of that…I know things are different this time, it's just the traffic really is noisy."

Rory blushed a little. "Right the traffic, I knew that." She bit on her bottom lip as she thought about it for a moment. "We could turn some music on kind of low, maybe it would drown it out a bit. Besides I read somewhere that playing music is good for the baby."

"But does that actually apply to now; I thought you were supposed to do that kind of stuff later on in the pregnancy?"

"Well I'm sure it's more meaningful later but it couldn't hurt to start a little early."

"Alright then, let's go try to find something decent enough in your CD collection for me and the baby to listen to."

"I don't exactly know what you mean by that exactly but my CD collection is just as good as my book collection…Lane taught me a lot over the years."

"Well I hope she threw in some baby info in there too…"

"Hey, that's a good idea. We should call Lane and ask her."

"Ask her what?"

"What we should play, for the baby to listen to." Rory explained grabbing the phone.

Dean quickly reached out and grabbed it before she could press the talk button. "Maybe we should just talk to her tomorrow about it, I mean she does have young children and it's a school night."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Maybe my mom played music for me when I was in the womb, we could call her."

"No Rory, let's just go to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow and we need to get some rest."

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Packing…beginning the move back to Stars Hollow."

"But I still have a month here; we don't have to rush the move. We can do it all over the next couple of weeks."

"Yeah I know but have you realized that just tonight you've wanted to call Lane and your mom for advice…we both have lots of questions and the people who can answer them for us are not here, they're home, where we should be."


End file.
